The Bet Against Fate
by skinnylovex
Summary: Bella & Edward have been the best of friends despite their personality differences. Being the thoughtful friend she is, Bella needs to get Edward laid to get him to stop brooding. Who better to help him with that then his BFF? Human/OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey guys! I finally finished the first chapter of my new plot bunny, I've actually never seen this kind of story before so I hope the idea's original for you! This is kind of a preface, not really jumping into everything right now but if this gets good feedback, I'll keep it coming. I'm just testing the waters right now. Anyway, enjoy!

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"Ow, crap," I hissed to myself as I burnt my tongue on my coffee. I quickly held it between my teeth to try and sooth the burning, the already-there scowl on my face deepening, but it only stung worse. Great, another thing to add to my annoyance.

I was sitting in the coffee shop I usually met my best friend, Bella, at on our usual Sunday morning ritual. And, as usual again, she was late. I knew exactly why she was, that was the thing that annoyed me even greater. It happened every Sunday; she was always at least 15 minutes behind schedule and sometimes I had to stop and ask myself why I still bother coming to these little gatherings of ours on intended time. I suppose a part of me held onto the hope that she didn't have another _encounter_ the night before. But, Bella is Bella- nothing disrupts her cycle. I looked down at my watch- another few minutes to go until she arrives.

Isabella, or Bella to those close to her, Marie Swan and I have been joined at the hip for as long as I can remember. We were both born and raised in Forks, Washington. We're one of those friendships that people think end up into something else, but we're not. We met in kindergarten; Bella can't tell you word for word what happened but I can. She's the pushy, confident type. If you ask her, she'll tell you what she thinks flat out. I'm not the quiet type, but I do like to keep to myself most of the time. How we ended up friends, I'll never know. What I do know is that out of all the friends I do have, she's the one I can tell anything and everything to, no matter how feminine that sounds.

Anyway, back to that first day of Kindergarten. We were forced to sit in groups of four to a table, and Bella and I ended up sitting right next to each other. We had to draw a picture in pairs, and we argued over what to draw. I was persistent to draw a giraffe, she wanted to draw a tiger. In the end, she ended up winning, and though I'll never admit it, she made me cry a little. But after that day, we were inseparable.

Bella's ability to be blunt and my own to be courteous at all times never clashed. She was the fire to my ice. Even now, 16 years later and in our third year of college, we still haven't argued since. Granted, there isn't that much to argue about since we hardly see each other due to different schedules. But we had made plans to attend the same school ever since our freshman year of high school. Bella and I agreed to not attend a college if we weren't both accepted, but we ended up staying close to home regardless.

A lot of people think that our friendship must have some sort of romantic tension to it, but there's not. And there's a lot of reasons for that, some I can't grasp really. Along with Bella's confidence came a newfound feeling of power, something she discovered in her senior year of high school. I suppose the word to use wouldn't be _slutty_, just that… she knows what she wants and doesn't see harm in going after it. No she's not a sex fiend, she just enjoys the company. That's why she's late. Of course, it's not that I find her _appetite_ unappealing, it's just not me. I've had my share of waking up in a different bed in the morning, but if Bella and I were keeping score, I'd be down 6-1.

My sister, Alice, has always had this thing with trying to set us up, claiming that being friends for so long just had to have an end result in something. We laughed it off every time. Bella's not an ugly girl, no not at all. She's got these killer legs that could put models to shame, brown hair that falls in waves and frames her face. Her best feature, no matter how many times I tell her, is her eyes. I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but the way she looks at me with her own set of browns makes me want to devour a Hershey's. Yeah, that's kind of lame, and a little on the too much information side but I won't lie- she's beautiful in a subtle way. That's another reason why Alice is always trying to hook us up too, because she knows just how beautiful I think she is. I admit, I've ogled Bella a few times before, but there's never been anything more than platonic love between us. I'd protect her in a heartbeat, but hardly does she need protecting with her sharp tongue.

"Well hello, favorite," that all too familiar voice resounded in my ear and the next thing I felt was a pair of soft lips on my cheek. I turned my head to see Bella, hair disheveled slightly and a small slight ring of smudged mascara underneath her eyes. Evident signs of what I was hoping I'd be wrong about. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous in the least in neither ways, of Bella or of the guys that she goes around with. I'm just the big protector- possessive and willing to strike at any time.

"Wow, you're only-" I paused to look down at my watch, "18 minutes late this time. Going for a better record? Or do you just like to keep me waiting in suspense?" I lightened my sarcasm, the annoyance in me was fading already.

Bella smiled wickedly. "I had… a house guest."

I almost rolled my eyes.

"Mike?"

She nodded deviously.

"He called around one in the morning, and well, I just can't say no!" she said the last part dramatically for effect. I cringed- Mike was definitely not her type. She's even said he could induce her into a coma by simply opening his mouth, but the sex is apparently that great that she's just close to getting some duct tape, claiming a new fetish and having her way without a sound from him. I cringed again at that thought.

"Glad to see our get-togethers mean so much to you."

"I'm here, right?"

"Yes, yes you are."

She smiled at that, and I had to reciprocate.

"So anything new happen in the last week?"

"Hmm, not really. Oh wait, I set my professors on fire, and I robbed a bank. I'm also plotting my way to world domination, but don't worry, I'll try and salvage Mike for you."

Bella laughed. "You have such dry humor. Maybe you're the one who needs to get laid."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Um, beg pardon?"

"You heard me. You haven't slept with anyone in over a year. Don't think I don't know, you can't keep things like that from me." I gave her a hard look, but she continued. "This is the prime of your life, your 'gettin' some' years! Kind of ironic that that's what I'm doing and what you're not. Just a bit backwards, don't you think?" she spoke with a grin.

"I'm not discussing this right now," I said, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Why not? I tell you all about my little adventures!" she protested.

"Yes, against my will, you do."

"That's not the point. I tell you because I trust you. Hence why I meet you here every Sunday morning."

"You're not helping…"

Bella smiled widely at me.

"Edward, we're 21. I think words like 'boobies' and 'pee-pee' are a little behind us, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"So don't you think it's time to stop being grossed out when I mention the S word?"

I huffed and crossed my arms. Bella just smiled again and retreated, something she did when she knew she won me over.

"So how's preparations for Alice's wedding coming along?" she asked as she put her chin in her palm. I rolled my eyes at the memories of my sister's insufferable torture, or as she liked to call them- wedding plans. My sister had met a pretty nice guy her first year in college. It was maddening just how compatible they are. Three years later, the next thing I knew they were engaged. I liked him well enough, though, even though he's from Texas. Jasper and I got along pretty well actually, even though we came from two totally different places.

"Horrible. You should consider yourself lucky she isn't your real sister, she'd probably make you her own mannequin."

"But it's not like I'm excused from most of the fun stuff," she protested, but she knew she was getting the better end of it. Bella was only one of Alice's bridesmaids, but since I was more available, I had more duties and help to hand out than Bella could. I always thought it was amazing that the two of them got along like Bella and I did. Both were the out-going type. Alice had taken Bella to a bar the day she turned 21, but the only part I heard about was Bella dancing on top of tables. I tried to block out the rest.

"She's going dress shopping next week, I believe."

"Are you warning me to get out of town that day?" Bella said with a laugh.

"Kind of, actually I'm surprised you're not squealing in awe like the rest of the bridesmaids did," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. Bella just shrugged.

"Marriage doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me. Anyway, I've already seen the honeymoon part, if you know what I mean," she said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrow.

"I'd prefer not to be reminded, Bella."

"Oh, c'mon! It's so wrong how you're not open about this."

"Because what goes on between the sheets stays between the sheets, at least with me."

"I bet I can change that."

"Ew, Bella, I'm not sleeping with you."

She only rolled her eyes at me.

"That's not what I meant, and what's wrong with sleeping with me?" her voice shrilled at the end and earned a few glares from the elderly people sitting close to us. I shot them an apologetic look, but Bella seemed to not notice.

"Nothing, and whatever is on your mind you can forget it now."

"No listen, Edward. I think the lack of sexual enjoyment in your life is turning you into sour Sally. I think I can help fix that. Of course, you'd have to comply and listen to me even though you never do."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Easy. I'll give you some pointers and send you on your merry way in every club we walk into. It's simple, watch and learn!"

"What if I don't agree?"

She paused for a minute.

"How about we bet on it?"

My face went blank.

"On what terms?"

"Let's say you have until Alice's wedding to get laid. So that gives us about 3 months. If you do, well, I don't get anything out of it, just the fact that I get to gloat about winning."

"And if I don't?"

"Dunno, whatever you pick, I guess."

I smirked as a bunch of evil plans formulated my mind.

"You can't see Mike Newton for two months."

Bella's mouth nearly hit the floor.

"WHAT?" she shrieked.

"You heard me. No sex for two months. Not just Mike, I really mean _nobody_. I think it's time for a little celibacy of your own."

Bella's face went through twenty emotions in one second. Shock, anger, surprise, fright, and then landed on surrender.

"One month."

I shook my head.

"45 days!"

I shook my head again. She huffed.

"Fine. Two months. But you know this means I'm going to go to any length to make sure I win."

I snorted. "Sure, I'm counting on it, Bella."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **You guys are awesome! But you all make me laugh, Mike haters! I don't think he's so bad... he means well, he's just attached haha. Think of it this way, at least it wasn't Jacob! Oops, sorry to Jacob fans, but I'm not a big supporter of him :(. Anyway, for those who weren't aware, I did say I wasn't going to post for this story until I finished Elegie Adagio, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to move along with this while I shell out the epilogue for EA. And plus, I've made you guys wait enough. So here you go! Don't forget to drop a review!

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I, Bella Swan, am on a mission to get my best friend laid before his sister's wedding. How or why this newfound task of mine came up, I don't know. I guess it was a spontaneous idea, driven by Edward's attitude. I truly believe that if he had just one night of pleasurable fun, he'd be a little less cynical than he is. It's not that he's mentally disabled or has a deformity; actually he's quite the opposite. Charming, extremely handsome, musically inclined, the works. It's like he was carved to perfection. His copper-bronze hair had a mind of its own sometimes, and his piercing green eyes even made me shudder sometimes. He's just the kind of man I'd be interested in if he wasn't what he is- my best friend.

He's more than that, actually. He's practically my lifeline. See, nobody takes me seriously half the time. I guess I brought that part upon myself, but the blunt, stubborn me is who I am. Thankfully, Edward and his sister Alice accept me for that. I suppose some people see me as off-beat, but I just know what I want and how to go after it. In some aspects of life, I'd be considered somewhat of a sleep-around. I won't lie, I love having the satisfaction of being with someone, but I'd never throw myself to a total stranger. I do have some morals, such as a fifth date rule.

I would like to clear one thing up; I'm not sleazy. If I'm sleeping with someone and it's not "official" between us, I don't sleep with anyone else. Kind of like dating, but backwards. I see it as sexually confident, others see it as slutty. Take it how you want, I wake up without feeling guilty in the morning.

I do believe in love, though. I'm waiting for the day Prince Charming comes to sweep me off my feet, but in the meantime, I'll take to messing around with some stable boys. I'm only 21, I only get 365 days of being this age- I think I'm allowed a little enjoyment. And to be totally honest, I've only been with five guys since I turned 18. Most of which turned out to be total losers, but I take it as a learning experience.

Anyway, back to Edward. He doesn't see eye to eye with me on a lot of things, but as different as we are he doesn't try to change me. I, however, wish he could be a little less pessimistic. That's precisely why I set this bet up, too. He probably thinks I won't bother with it now, that I've probably forgotten about it but the truth is that it's suddenly become my number one priority.

"You did _WHAT_?" Alice shrieked in my ear on the phone. I had to hold it at an arm's length away to not cause ear damage to myself.

"I made a bet with Edward that I could get him laid by the time your wedding comes along," I repeated myself.

"Bella, you're asking for a lot more trouble than you think. My brother's the most stubborn guy ever, if he doesn't want to budge, he won't," she said, her voice still an octave above normal.

"Well, if my plan works, he'll be more than budging…,"

"Ew! Stop right there, that's my brother, hello?" Alice said in a disgusted voice. I rolled my eyes, what is with these Cullens and their distaste for anything verbally suggestive?

"So what exactly is this plan of yours? Are you going to lure him to your place and screw his brains out like I've told you to do these past oh, four years?" she said with a change of subject. I scrunched my nose at her, even though she couldn't possibly see me over the phone.

"Alice, shut up. You know there's nothing between us like that, so get that little fantasy out of your head," I said. Alice has been on my case about taking my and Edward's relationship to the "next level." In truth, there couldn't be a next level between us. As much as I would kill to have a guy like Edward in my life, he was far too perfect to be wasted with such a hardheaded girl like me. He needed a girl that could sit home and cook and take care of children. I'd probably run us out of house and home and send the both of us to the loony bin.

"Whatever, Bella, maybe this little bet of yours will open up the both of your eyes'. God knows you need it, too."

"Look, are you going to help me or not?" I pressed.

"Of course, what do you need?"

I launched into my first plan of action for Edward; enlisting Alice would be the smartest choice for it. After all, anything that had to do with the mall was a specialty of Alice's.

I threw myself on the couch after getting off the phone with Alice. If I was going to win this bet, I had a lot of planning ahead of me, and there was no way I was going to lose. I could've settled our bet with not seeing only Mike Newton for two months, but resorting to nobody at all? That'd be a challenge. But I was up for it. Who knows, it might just even give me an opportunity to date normally, whatever that meant.

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The next day I woke up and immediately started getting ready to put plans into motion. I was lucky that my Monday classes didn't start until four in the afternoon. Edward's however, were already in full swing, so I'd just have to catch him afterwards. Which would be in… I turned to look at my clock on my dresser as I pulled my top on. 10:45. I had exactly one hour to finish and get to the campus before Edward could leave. I quickly hurried up my morning ritual and made a dash out the door with half an hour to spare.

As I walked down the hallway of the building where Edward's class was usually held, I noticed a line of people walking out of the classroom he was in. _Must've been let out early_, I thought, and was thankful I got there just in time.

Edward was one of the last people to walk out and I popped up in front of him, taking him by surprise as his eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks, looking down on me. I grinned at him.

"Ready for day one?" I asked. He looked at me in confusion.

"What are you doing here? I thought your classes start later?"

"It doesn't, but I'm here to win my bet, or did you forget about it already?"

"Yeah right, me forget. I didn't know you were serious about this though, I figured you would've forgotten it by now," he said with a scowl.

"Glad to know you think so keenly of me," I said with a roll of my eyes, "anyway, yes- I'm totally serious. It's for your benefit, not mine. Now let's get going, Alice is waiting for us at the mall."

He stopped dead in his tracks after I'd managed to pull him a few steps towards the doors.

"Wait a minute, why is Alice meeting us at the mall?"

I huffed out a breath of air. "I told you, today is day one. Now, you can't put up a fuss. You have to go along with whatever we say today, alright?"

"Bella-,"

"Nope, no arguing,"

He beaded his eyes at me as I started tugging him along again. I just smiled innocently back.

"Alright, fine. Just make sure to keep Alice away from me when necessary, she can be vicious in a mall, you know."

I laughed and nodded my head, fully understanding why Edward would be frightened of his sister's less-than-zealous fashion craze.

We had arrived at the nearby mall a little past the hour, only to find Alice waiting impatiently outside for us. She looked about ready to combust and I was quite close to declaring this as my wedding gift to her. She took absolute joy in dressing anyone and everyone up and down. No matter the occasion, Alice the Great would make you look like a brand new penny. God knows if it weren't for her, I'd probably still look like the shabby mess I was in my freshman year of high school. I grinned at the memory of the day she dragged me for my own little makeover.

"_Bella," she'd said, "you are a beautiful girl with the right attitude, you could be any guy's dream, but you're lacking."_

Of course, I'd taken it the wrong way and had shot her back a not-so-nice retort, but she only rolled her eyes and dragged me out of her house, me looking to Edward for help with no avail. So this was my little payback to him.

"About time you two showed up," Alice said, looking between Edward and me suspiciously.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go, I have a wager to win," I smiled smugly at her, tugging both Edward and her by the sleeve inside the fifth circle of Hell, as I liked to call it.

I was quite thankful it wouldn't be me under the hawking eye of Alice today, because usually it was. Lately more so because of her upcoming wedding. But she'd been itching to get her hands on Edward recently, since he'd always have some sort of excuse to ditch her when she'd call him. I snickered at the way he'd tug on his collar nervously when he white lied to her, looking as if he'd want to run for the hills.

It wasn't that we weren't thankful for her impeccable fashion taste, or the fact that she'd even go out of her way to find us the perfect outfits if we let her, it's just that she did it so often that I found myself repulsed by the mere word "shopping."

We gravitated towards every men's shop that Alice found suitable. It felt kind of silly and odd to be shopping for Edward, like he was a little boy that couldn't choose his own clothing. But I was convinced, if changing your outward appears helped me gain the confidence I needed, I was certain it could work for anyone. Although confidence was the last thing Edward needed, it was more like a boost- a push in the right direction. Hopefully with Alice's taste and my approval, it would be just what he needed.

We fell into a routine in each store we went to. Alice would choose outfits, usher Edward into a fitting room and he'd strut, or at least strut as best as Edward could, to meet my approval. It was always hit or miss, either something completely unflattering or something completely… well, scrumptious. I pursed my lips as the word popped in my head at its own free will. I couldn't deny it; my best friend was the hottest piece of meat in this store right now.

"I like it," I said, trying to keep my tone a bit indifferent and trying my best not to blush. That was the one thing that always kept me grounded- the fact that anything could make me blush like nothing else. It was like my subconscious was keeping my head level and thinking rational, no matter how catty I could get. Of course, the only people who knew just how far the extent of my red cheeks could go were the ones standing in front of me.

Edward looked totally bored. It was amazing that after an hour and a half of this torture, he was still here and not storming out as I thought he'd be. Maybe he wanted this bet to work out just as much as I did. I couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or bad, but my mind was definitely drifting towards bad.

Alice jutted her hands on her hips at my simple remark. It was obvious she had gone through extremes to find this one for him and for me to just "like it" could've been a slap in her face. I recovered as best as I could.

"I mean, it's hot. Really, the best one I've seen all day," I said in a mumble as I chewed on my nails. Dirty habit.

"Good, any thoughts Edward?"Alice asked as she looked up at her brother. His eyes widened at being addressed, he'd obviously been lost in his own thoughts although his eyes were trained on me the entire time. I could've shifted nervously from under his scrutiny.

"I have something like this in my closet." His tone was flat.

"No, you have a charcoal grey button-up in your closet. This one is ash, and makes you look more defined," Alice said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I snorted in laughter.

Edward looked himself down, and even I had to agree, it was ridiculous how many similar jackets and button-up, collared shirts he owned. But for some reason, the grey and black mixed together really set him off.

"Whatever you say, are we done yet? I don't think there are any more stores for you to terrorize," he complained as he went back into the dressing room to shrug out of his jacket and shirt.

"Well, there's just one more place-,"

"Alice!" I cut her off. Even I wanted to go home about now.

"What? It's not for Edward, it's for your bridesmaid dress," she stated. I looked at her incredulously.

"Alice, please tell me you're not actually going to get bridesmaid dresses from the _mall_."

"Of course not! I didn't mean here, there's a little shop on the way back. I was wondering if we could just stop by and get you fitted. Rosalie has hers done and it's just you that needs to be altered."

"Alice, do you even have your _own_ dress?" I asked her as Edward stepped out of the dressing room, looking back and forth between us. I looked at him for help, but his expression finally brightened as he realized Alice was trying to drag me into a dressing room this time. Payback. He shook his head.

"Well, no, but I'm looking for it next week, and when I saw the bridesmaid dresses I knew they'd be perfect! And plus, it gives me some limitations on my own dress, you know, so I know what to go by…," she trailed off.

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Kind of, but when you see them you'll know what I mean!" she was pleading with me, but I absolutely couldn't. Even if I thought I'd have the energy to stand up for an hour while getting picked and poked at, I still had class, and soon.

"I can't anyway, Alice. My class starts at four and it's currently," I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket and checked the time, "2:10. I doubt she'll finish before my class starts."

Alice scowled at me. "Why'd you have to go and pick a late afternoon class anyway?"

I shrugged. "Not my fault. It was the only Shakespearean Literature class they have available this semester. Blame the school."

Alice's scowl turned to a frown. I knew it killed her to have to delay it, considering how little I saw her these days.

"How about we hit that dress up tomorrow after lunch? My classes start early in the morning and let out around noon. I can meet you at that little bistro you like, and you can poke at me all you want," I said with a nudge in her side to cheer her up. It worked, a smile lifted in the corner of her lips. Sometimes, I truly felt like I was Alice's older sister rather than her my older, surrogate one.

"Fine, fine, it's just hard getting in time to see you nowadays," she admitted with a sigh. I nodded my head. I felt a bit guilty about that, Alice deserved more than the way I'd been with our friendship. Aside from Edward, I truly confided everything in her, as she did with me. I knew things about Alice that not even Jasper knew, or at least not yet. The only real reason why I hadn't talked to Alice as much as I should have been was because I was too busy going out on weekends to give her a call, or even invite her. It's not that I was meaning to be rude or not want her to join in, but it always slipped my mind. I preferred hanging around Alice than with Jessica or Angela. More so, just Jessica. She was a bit of a nag, always talking about herself. More than twice a night I'd snap at her, which promptly shut her up for five minutes. Angela wasn't so bad; actually she was a really sweet girl. But it was just that- sweet. She sugarcoated her feelings, and almost everything she'd say. Not to mention she was incredibly shy. It grated me sometimes and we clashed often, but not as harshly as Jessica and I did. There was nothing more I disliked than being lied to misled. I was a straight-on type of girl, and I could handle anything that was thrown to me.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. I promise to make more time for you from now on," I said as I hugged her and swung an arm over her shoulder. She laughed as she looked up, Edward had returned with now two new shopping bags in his hands, having paid for Alice's decisions before she got a chance to force him to do so. He looked back and forth between us, beading an eye before shaking his head in defeat at us.

"Can we just leave now?"

Alice and I both nodded our heads and the three of us made our way out of the store, and out of the mall.

We walked Alice to her car and each hugged her goodbye, Alice made Edward promise to give her a call tomorrow.

"And I'm holding you to our date tomorrow," she said as she squeezed me tightly.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything, Alice."

She smiled and climbed into her car before putting it in reverse and peeling away.

When we were finally in Edward's Volvo, he pulled out and turned onto the road.

"Have you convinced yourself that this is really going to work?" Edward said as his eyes stayed trained on the road. I didn't need to ask what he was referring to.

"Absolutely. Edward, it's not the 'reeling the girl in' part that's going to be hard for you, it's going to be you willing to let yourself just have a good time in the company of a girl that isn't me or a family member. Or teacher, unless that's your type of thing," I smirked at him teasingly but his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

The whole unhappy Edward thing had only been recent. The real Edward I knew was full of life, but lately, he'd just been so easily aggravated, like something inside of him pulled his mood down. Maybe I was being too brash around him? But that was nonsense, I'd been joking with him like this for as long as I could remember. I dreaded to think I was the very thing that put him in this recent funk.

"It was a joke, Edward, jeez," I mumbled as he stayed silent. He focused on driving.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the fact that you're trying to help me be happy, Bella, but I just wish it would be in other ways, this just seems really… juvenile and silly."

"You're the one thinking it's juvenile. We're adults, Edward. I don't see why we can't talk about this stuff with each other. It hurts me, actually, that you'd shut me out of something so intimate. And here I was thinking I was your best friend! The one who made you cry over finger paints in Kindergarten!" I feigned a distressed look and pretended to wipe a tear from my eye. He turned his head to look at me, his eyes full of thoughts that I couldn't decipher. He was so serious-looking, I wanted to hit him.

"You are, Bella." He looked back to the road.

"Then just trust me on this one, okay? What's the worst that can happen, you still be in a sour mood every time I meet you for coffee on Sunday mornings? I've dealt worse."

He sighed, not saying anything for a moment.

"Fine," he mumbled under his breath. I smiled in triumph. I was about to gloat when I felt my cell phone buzz against my thigh in my pocket. I pulled it out and flipped it up to see the screen reading "1 New Message." I smiled slightly as I saw that it was from Mike. As much as I just wanted to knock him out and pull his pants down, I couldn't deny that he didn't feel more than just a lapdog to me.

"_Hey, sexy. Busy tonight?"_

I chuckled softly as I read it. He was in violation of Bella rule #5- "no weekdays due to school."

"_Calm down, Don Juan. Its Monday, I'm sure you can wait till Friday or so."_

I pressed send with a smirk on my face.

"Let me guess, Mike?" Edward asked, looking at me with a tired expression on his face. I nodded my head, not elaborating on the subject. Edward wasn't fond of Mike at all, claiming he was more leech-like than a leech itself. He was a sleaze, but then again, who was I to talk? I wasn't exactly Miss "Protecting My Virtue" either.

"I hope he's ready to go two months without you," he said, smirking for the first time the entire day. It wasn't much of a mood shift for him, but his attitude clearly picked up a bit and I took full advantage of it. This was the Edward I knew shining out.

"Oh, ye of little faith. I'm going to make you a knock out in due time. Just wait."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **It's been too long! Hello again! And thank you if you're sticking with this story! I hope this chapter's good, it took me an entire week to finish the right way. And no, I wasn't caught up reading BD (and I have no comments for it :P hahah) even though I just finished it today. Let's just say... I'm sticking to all-human stories instead of canon! haha anyway, enjoy, please please please!! drop a review! I have indeed missed those! And those who're finding this story from Elegie Adagio, thank you for your kind reviews there too! I'm still getting them daily and I'm shocked! I love you guys :)

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Worst two hours of my life. The more surprising part was that Bella had actually planned for it. She actually wanted to go shopping with Alice. I was pretty sure the both of us looked like we wanted nothing more than to just run out of there at top speed, but as long as she stayed put, I did too. I could humor her this much, even though I knew there was no way she'd be winning this little bargain of hers. There was just no way, she couldn't just tell me to get into bed with the first willing person I came across, first of all. Second, talk about preposterous. But this was typical Bella, and love her though I may, she could use a little taming herself.

So I'd purposely fail this bet so she could dwindle down a little.

But something else was prickling my nerves with annoyance, something I couldn't quite pinpoint about the fact that Bella wanted me to sleep around. That annoyance alone was more biting than the times Bella would mention the guys she'd been with. Was I jealous? No, not one bit. I wasn't fueled by jealousy, I was fueled by a primal instinct to protect her, make sure nobody could hurt her. But it's Bella, the girl who would just glare at a guy's balls and they'd just shrivel up themselves. But, Bella only had a sharp tongue, not a sharp upper-hand. So I used that reasoning to justify the protective mode I always seem to have around her. Call it the inner smug male in me, I don't care.

After dropping Bella off at her own place, I made my way back across the campus to mine. I never understood why Bella decided to move off-campus and find a roommate to share an apartment with, she had told me that she wasn't particularly fond of dorms but she'd stammered when she had said it, and Bella had never been a good liar. But I let it go, and she found a nice roommate by the name of Rosalie. Rosalie wasn't the exact opposite of Bella, actually I think they bonded over female things together, whatever that was. Bella had met her in the school cafeteria one day after tripping over her purse and sent her lunch flying on Rosalie. She was fuming but Bella retaliated just as harshly, saying that if she hadn't left her bag in the aisle she wouldn't be covered in tuna surprise. Instead of turning into a girl fight, the two of them took a good look at each other and then started laughing like maniacs.

Another thing about girls that I will never understand.

I, on the other hand, decided to stick around campus. It was easier being closer to classes, considering I wasn't a morning person in the least. I got along with my roommate, too, which was a plus. He was definitely my opposite; the typical football player type, although football was the furthest thing on his agenda. Emmett was loud and boisterous, and the build to match. Underneath his thick skin, he was about 12 years old, although with a heart of gold. Over the years of sharing a dorm together, we've grown on each other. Of course, it took me a little longer to get used to him than he did with me. And there still were times when he'd try to drag me into something that probably wasn't even legal.

As soon as I had unlocked the door to the room, I was greeted by Emmett's raucous voice.

"Edward!"

"Hey, Emmett," I tried to sound as enthusiastic as he did, but after the day's events, I really couldn't bring myself to do it. He took in the bags I was clutching, and then a small snigger erupted from him.

"Shopping, I see. What did you do, piss off Alice?"

I shook my head. "Worse. I made a bet with Bella."

His eyes widened in either excitement or shock, I couldn't tell.

"What kind of bet?"

I sighed; I didn't really want to have to explain it to him. He'd never let me get over it, and he'd probably be some aid for Bella, too.

"Nothing too important, just some stuff we're always bickering about and she's too stubborn to let it go," I shrugged my shoulders, hoping to play it off and move onto the next subject. I moved to shove the bags into my tiny closet space, not bothering to unload them. Alice would raise hell if she saw me doing this.

"Then why a shopping spree?" he asked, one of his eyebrows arched.

"Oh, um… Alice was around today, and you know her," I tried my hand at lying, but the suspicious look he gave me told me otherwise.

"Right," he dawdled.

"I already told you, it's not anything important."

"Then let me call dear Alice herself and ask, I do need to give her my best regards on being engaged, too," he made to leap out from his lying position on his bed to my phone, which I'd tossed onto my own bed, but I had the advantage of being quicker and grabbed it before he could.

"No, no! She knows already! You can tell her another time!"

"Ah-ha! I knew you were hiding something. C'mon Edward, tell me what this bet is. Maybe I can help you win?"

"That's the part I'm afraid of," I mumbled under my breath, pocketing my phone.

"You know I'm going to find out eventually."

"Fine fine," I gave in with another sigh. "Bella bet that she could get me to… _sleep_ with someone… before Alice's wedding. We went shopping because she thinks a new wardrobe will make women miraculously appear in my pants," I spoke in a rushed voice, hoping he didn't hear anything I'd said.

Unfortunately he heard everything loud and clear as he laughed full-heartedly.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. My personal life is there for the expense of everyone," I said with a roll of my eyes.

"Well, you can't blame her Edward. I'd do it too, except all I'd probably steal all your nominees," he said as a few chuckles still escaped him.

"Be my guest, please."

"You mean, you don't want to sleep with anyone?" he asked me as if I'd just said I wanted to slice my throat off.

"No, I do not. Not like this, anyway. A one night stand is quite trashy. I don't know how you and Bella can do that," I said as I shuddered at the thought.

"You're more feminine than Alice sometimes, I swear," he sighed out with a shake of his head, "I'm sure she's not trying to set you up for one night and then 'see ya' in the morning, Bella always means well. Maybe you'll get something more than you bargained for in the end."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"So what are the terms?" he asked, changing the subject.

I had to smile smugly at that.

"If I win, meaning if I don't get laid, she can't be with anyone for three months. If she wins, and by some miracle I get my happily ever after in someone else's bed, she just gets the satisfaction of 'I told you so.'"

Emmett's eyes widened again. "That's it? She really doesn't get anything?"

"Nope."

"Huh. That girl is something else, seriously."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she's trying to help you out by making you be a little more out-going and happy, knowing there's a chance she's might not win, and if she does, she gets nothing in return. Talk about completely unselfish."

I'd never thought of it that way, really. I guess I'd been trying to act as annoyed as I could with this whole predicament that I never stopped to really be thankful that she cared that much about it.

"Oh," was the only intelligent response out of my mouth.

Emmett laughed again. "Hey Edward?"

"Huh?" I responded, breaking out of my reverie of Bella's good-natured heart.

"Can you pass along my number to Bella? A guy would be an idiot to pass up a girl like her," he said jokingly. I narrowed my eyes at him, for some reason his remark made me seethe on the inside. I glared at him for a second before he started laughing yet again, and marched into the bathroom.

* * *

"Okay, what about her over there?" Bella asked, her eyes going off in a direction over my shoulder. She nudged her chin a little in the same direction, but I didn't bother to look up from the book I was reading to even see who she was talking about. I just automatically shook my head and answered, "No."

"Edward! Come on! You didn't even look at her!" Bella pleaded with me, shaking my hand on the table to get my attention.

We were in the cafeteria the next day, finally having a much needed break from our classes to have lunch together, or as Bella would have it, "Female-for-Edward scoping."

I finally looked up from my book to look at her, her eyebrows were knit together in frustration with me and I instantly felt guilty. She was truly going to such lengths for me and I wasn't even making an effort to oblige. I sighed and finally turned in my seat to see who she had pointed out, but I couldn't figure out whom. There had to be at least eight girls sitting at the table behind us.

"Which one?" I asked her in a whisper.

"Strawberry blonde, blue eyes, pale complexion. Hey, maybe you two can go tanning together," she teased as she pinched the skin on my hand.

"Ow!" I hissed, turning back to give her a scowl, but she only stuck her tongue out at me.

She was so very endearing, it was hard to imagine this girl snapping at people or constantly being the loudmouth she could be. She'd always acted differently around me, for reasons I'd probably never figure out or even want to know.

She jutted her chin in the strawberry-blonde's direction again, and this time my eyes followed her trail to find her.

No, she was definitely not my type.

"Eww," I commented in a low voice. I quickly turned back in my seat.

"You're so difficult. There's only like 5 girls left in here, and none of them are your type. What's wrong with Tanya?"

I gave her a quizzical look. "Who?"

"Why don't you pay attention?! Hello, the girl I just pointed out to you!"

"You know her?"

"She's in a couple of my classes, she's majoring the same as me," she said, sounding annoyed.

"Well, if you don't like her, why are you so damn intent on getting me to know her better? Oh, and there's six girls left in here."

"Who's the sixth?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You." I grinned widely at her, knowing it would irritate her.

She sighed exasperatedly. "I don't count, smart-ass."

"And why not?"

She glared at me pointedly.

"I just don't!"

"Okay, fine, but you still didn't answer my other question."

"What other question?"

"Why don't you like her? And why would you try to set me up with her if you didn't?"

"Because she's… I don't know, too blonde. Something about her sets off a bad vibe with me," she said with a shrug.

"Gee, glad you think so highly of the women I should be with,"

"It was just a suggestion."

"Well, no more suggestions for today. I feel like a creep after ogling so many girls in just one hour," I said as I sank back into my seat.

"Alright fine, we'll just approach this a different way," she said as she started rummaging through her messenger bag. She pulled out a pen and a notebook, flipped to a clean sheet and wrote at the top in block letters, "INTERESTS & PERSONALITY TRAITS."

"What's that for?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

"This is going to be the master list of things you like and don't like in a woman."

I snorted with laughter. "You're not really going to write them down, are you? I didn't know you were taking this bet so seriously."

"Would you quit with that? You know for a fact that when I want something, I want it bad. And what I want is for you to just accept the fact that I'm trying to lessen the negativity in you so you can be the best friend I had once upon a time ago, who wasn't so damn skeptical about everything and everyone," she ranted, throughout it her nostrils flared in anger and her eyes became rocks as they fixated on me. I could've cowered in fear if I didn't know her any better.

She might have looked incredibly pissed off, but she was still quite beautiful. But now was definitely not a time to think things like that, the guilt she had meant to seep into me took me over and I could only sigh in defeat and let her continue.

"Now," she spoke as if she hadn't been previously frustrated with my reluctant behavior, "personality-wise, what is it that you like in a girl?"

"You've known me forever, you should know," I didn't say it to put off answering the question. She really did know me inside and out, so it was a question she shouldn't even have to ask.

"But I don't. Me and you never talk about these things, remember? It's always 'Oh, she's a nice girl' or 'she's really easy to get along with,' never once have you told me anything outside of vague about your previous girlfriends." Her eyes shifted down as she spoke, doodling on the edge of the sheet. Even without looking in her eyes, I could tell she was a bit hurt at that truth. But in all honestly, I don't know the answer, either. Did I even have a type? Usually I can grit my teeth and look past the flaws of a person, so I had no idea what could really grind my gears.

"Well, um… intelligence? No one vapid, I guess. I'd like to be able to hold a conversation for longer than 'hello, how are you?'"

"Don't we all, what else?" she asked as she jotted some stuff down on the paper.

"Um…," I scrunched my face in concentration, trying to pinpoint things that could easily get on my nerves, "well, I don't like nail-biters, for one, or sweaty palms-type. It's too gross. Maybe someone who enjoys reading books that contain more words than pictures. Oh, and please, no Alice types if you know what I mean."

Bella laughed softly at my last request, jotting it down along with everyone else I'd said.

"I think we're going to have to work on that a different time," she said, putting her pencil down on the paper.

"Am I that bad?" I asked jokingly.

"Yep, you're in worse shape than I thought. This is going to take longer than I hoped." A smile graced her face as she spoke.

"What do you suggest?" The question should have never escaped my mouth. She grinned wider.

"Put on your dress shoes, we're going to a bar tonight."

* * *

A bar. I guess I should've been thankful that it was the middle of the week, so the only place we could've gone without seeming like desperate morons was a bar. Had it been Friday or Saturday night, she would've dragged me to the most-packed club. But since that wasn't an option and Bella would rather be dead than caught at a club on a weekday, she compromised. I still wasn't happy about it.

But the good thing was that I didn't have to do much to gain her approval. She tugged me along, pushing past the double doors of "The Stumble In" to be greeted by a musty room full of people. Most of them sitting at the bar, some at a few tables, and a few trucker-looking types surrounding the pool table. Bella, of course, seemed not to be disturbed or awkward here. She walked in confidently, whereas I shrunk behind her a bit, my head held high but I didn't dare to look around to anyone. It was a lively place though, for a weekday. Bella pulled me up to a couple of unoccupied barstools in the middle of the bar. She jumped up on the seat eagerly, flipping her hair back with both of her hands.

I took my seat more casually than she did as Bella began scanning the room immediately. I followed her gaze to each girl she took in, doing a mental evaluation myself. All of them the same- no.

"Bella, you don't really think you can pick out one of these girls and expect me to go home with them, do you?" I asked tensely.

"Don't be silly, Edward. Of course not. You might not even talk to any of them tonight. We're just going to people-watch," she said nonchalantly. At the same time, the bartender came up to take our drinks. Bella asked for a strawberry crush and I stuck with a tonic and water.

We showed him our ID's after he asked for them, and Bella swiveled in her seat and started the hunt.

"Look, look. The blondie in the booth over there with two other girls," she whispered next to me. I hesitated for a second before I turned my head to look.

She wasn't too bad, actually. She was pretty enough, not a natural blonde, that was for sure, but her face had a softness to it that was endearing. Her nose was upturned a little, and she dressed well. She was talking animatedly with her friends, using her hands for emphasis. They looked utterly bored of her though, which made me feel a little bad.

"They're so bored of her," I commented under my breath, but Bella had heard me. She snickered a bit.

"She's probably talking about the guy she's been trying to get with for the last, oh I don't know, three weeks or so. He has no interest in her whatsoever, and the poor girl has her hopes set high. Her friends probably hear the same thing over and over again and just want to smack her for being stupid," Bella said with a flourish.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at her. "How do you know all that?"

Her eyes looked up to meet mine, and she smiled. "I'm a people reader. I notice the small things to get the bigger picture. Like that guy over there," she said, pointing out an older guy with a moustache sitting alone in a booth. He looked downright on his last rope.

"His wife just left him. He loved her to death, but she couldn't handle it. He might travel around a lot due to work or some other commitment that's out of his hands, but he obviously wishes he could spend more time with her. But he kept neglecting it, saying things will get better, but she just couldn't stand being lied to anymore." Her smile turned rueful as she finished.

"Wow," was all I could breathe out. Had I really been out of tune with the rest of humanity that I couldn't even keep up with simple facial expressions? But I grew curious…

"What about me?" I asked her.

She pursed her lips as she looked up at me again, holding my gaze for a second longer than probably needed. Something blazed in her eyes, something I'd never noticed before and it made my stomach burn excitedly. A foreign feeling I'd never really felt before.

"I see my best friend who could use a little more happiness in his life," she muttered. I was about to say something back when she abruptly turned back to the bar, the bartender placing our drinks in front of us. She eagerly grabbed for hers and took a big sip. I let mine sit for a while. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, she turned back around, her smile returning back to her face.

"Up for some more?"

"I guess so. Not like I have a choice."

She grinned at me and looked for some more people to pick apart.

She stayed true to her word; I didn't have to talk to anyone I didn't want to. I was still stumped as to what the point of the night really was, but it apparently gave insight to Bella about the things I liked or didn't like in a person. Things like someone who could keep their repetitive use of the word "like" to a minimum of two times per sentence, people who didn't stare completely when their company spoke, or someone didn't fidget with their clothes every five seconds.

A whole hour had passed, and Bella and I were four drinks into the night. We were laughing like idiots at the things we'd point out, causing people to throw us nasty looks but I was feeling way too buzzed to even care. Bella ended up leaning on me for support; she was such a light-weight drinker. Our laughter had died down a bit when guys had started to approach Bella.

Usually she didn't respond to them, sometimes flat out turning her back on them and acting as if she hadn't heard them, and most likely she hadn't under her loud laughs. Every one that tried to come up to her was quickly shooed away, either by my menacing glance or the embarrassment at being ignored so blatantly. I thought it was a bit bold of them, though, to actually trying to buy her more drinks. They didn't even have the decency to assume that I was probably her boyfriend. I know if I'd seen a girl with a guy alone at a bar, I wouldn't dare to try to talk to her. It's automatic uncharted territory.

I shrugged the thought off. Of course, Bella and I weren't acting like a couple, so they'd probably figured out we were just friends. Still, the thought burned me in the unfamiliar way it had before. It was starting to get annoying.

It wasn't until one pushy guy came up to her that I had to put my foot down.

He sauntered up to Bella with a smug grin on his face, evidently from the fact that Bella was pretty drunk. He tapped her on the shoulder, at which she barely turned her head to look at him before turning back around to laugh with me. I laughed with her, but my eyes trained on the guy.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said as he cleared his throat. Bella's laughter died out, clearly becoming annoyed now.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a curt tone.

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe I could buy you a drink," he said with a Cheshire cat grin. I wanted to punch him. My hand instinctively curled around Bella's arm.

"I've got my drinks covered tonight," she answered back, raising the glass in her hand to prove her point.

"Then maybe some bar side company?" he pressed. He was seriously starting to piss me off.

"Don't you ever take a hint when it's smacking you in the face?" her tone was getting nastier.

"A violent drunk. Are you like that in bed too?"

Bella snapped.

She set her glass down with a loud clink on the bar as she turned around in her seat.

"Alright, that's it-," she moved to smack the guy across the face but I grabbed her hand before she could make any contact.

"Okay, now, come on Bella, let's go," I mediated her before she could do any damage. Truth be told, I wanted to be the one to hit him, but it wouldn't be worth it. Bella protested and half-struggled against me, but it was deemed useless in her inebriated state. I stuck my free hand in my pocket and threw some cash on the bar, wanting nothing than to get Bella out of there before she broke free from me.

We were halfway towards the door when the same guy called out.

"It's too bad your boyfriend can't fight your fights for you, Hun. Call me when you want a real man."

This time it was me to snap.

I turned back around; he had the same grin on his face.

I couldn't help myself with what came out of my mouth next.

"Maybe so, but she's still going home with me tonight."

And without warning, I planted a kiss on Bella's cheek. His face dropped almost immediately.

I turned back around to usher Bella out as fast as I could. I could hear her laughing from under my grasp, but I had been burning the entire time that I hadn't noticed until we got outside. When we were far enough, I dared to let her go, hoping she wouldn't run back in to beat the guy's head in. If she did, I'd probably let her.

Instantly, my head started pounding.

It wasn't an odd thing for me to pretend to be Bella's boyfriend, we'd done the favor for each other every once in a while to save us from sticky situations. But tonight was completely different. Never had I felt the burning rage in me to protect her so fiercely. Bella was a tough girl with thick skin, but in the moment, she was fragile. So very vulnerable and breakable, and not just because she'd had so many drinks. I wanted to wrap her up in a cocoon and be her protective shell.

And while still in my reverie, Bella's laughter was still going and getting louder.

"What the hell is so funny?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"You!" she gasped through laughs.

"Me? You're laughing at me while that guy back there was practically screaming date rape?"

"No, I'm laughing because you were so angry!" Now she was clutching her stomach, tears forming in her eyes as she hastily wiped at them. She wasn't making any sense.

"Ugh, whatever, let's just go home," I gave in and started pulling her along by the elbow. Thankfully, she complied and followed suit, still laughing. Her laughter eventually died down, but a smile was kept on her face as we walked in silence for a few minutes. Every now and then she'd give a little chuckle from behind closed lips. I'd look at her from the corner of my eye, and she'd only purse her lips together, looking innocent. I shook my head at her.

"Edward?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

"What." My tone was flat.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Kiss me. Pretend to be my boyfriend, kind of," she said without hesitation.

Truth be told, I still don't know why I did it.

"Um, well… err…," I stammered unable to find an answer. She giggled at my response. I sighed in frustration.

"Because I felt like I had to protect you," I said honestly, "and it's not like I haven't kissed you on the cheek before," I teased.

"Yeah when we were nine," she giggled again. Clearly the night's events hadn't sobered her up.

"Whatever," I muttered under my breath. Bella didn't say anything the rest of the walk back to her apartment. I walked her up, catching her a few times as she stumbled on the stairs. She fumbled in her purse for the key. After a few seconds of looking, she finally pulled it out, but she didn't make a move to go inside just yet.

She looked up at me, no trace of a certain expression on her face.

"Thanks, Edward. Really, I'm glad you stepped in," she spoke softly. Then she wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly to her. I stiffened at the sudden contact, but a split second later relaxed, putting my own arms around her.

"That's what I'm here for, Bella," I said from the top of her head. I felt her smile against me.

"That doesn't excuse the bet though, don't get your hopes up."

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

"Of course it doesn't."

She gave me another squeeze before pulling away. She looked so peaceful, so serene. The ease she had about her couldn't help but seep from her to me, and I smiled back at her.

"Go on, get inside and go to bed. You're not going to feel so great tomorrow morning," I nudged her. She sighed and stuck the key in the keyhole and gave a good turn. She looked back at me, smiling one last time.

"Goodnight, Edward."

By natural instinct, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Bella," I whispered back. I barely caught the slight blush creeping on her cheeks as she quickly pushed the door open and went inside. She waved at me as she closed the door.

I sighed and started to descend the stairs. My head was pounding even worse than before. I was frustrated with my behavior. What was going on?

I don't know what had come over me at all tonight, but whatever it was, it was changing things between Bella and me.


	4. Chapter 4

Well, well, well! I know a lot of you guys must have thought I dropped off the face of the planet after abandoning my story but I'm almost certain I'm back and ready to continue on with The Bet Against Fate! Although I've had some revelations since I last wrote for it, I've still been writing just… not any twi-fics. So this is a heads up to you guys that 1) I'm back (unfortunately for you guys!) 2) The writing style will be different (less wordy paragraphs, more chapter length) and 3) I LOVE YOU GUYS! By the way, I've also had spurts of raunchiness coming to mind with this so as innocent as I tried to keep it with a questionable plot, I can't do it. Hopefully this story really will earn its rating!

See you guys soon, and if you're still sticking this out THANK YOU! I doubt there's many of you but still, anybody counts for me!

PS- Sorry guys, but Elegie Adagio is completely done. No sequels no nadda. I wouldn't know what to write about other than intense piano bench makeout scenes!

PPS- This will get deleted within the week or so, to be replaced by a REAL chapter!


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